MUNICIPAL ELECTION - 2010
Monday, Oct. 25th will be election day this year - a recent provincial change moved the date out of November into what, hopefully, will be nicer weather for voters. And I want to offer a sincere "thank-you" to the many residents, friends and strangers alike, who have communicated their wish for me to stand for re-election. I thank you for sharing your opinions, your visions and your enthusiasm. Now I seek your continued support, and your vote of confidence, to again represent our community.

As the founding, and current, Chair of Sustainable Pickering I am very proud of how far we have come on our sustainable journey in just 5 short years. National and provincial awards attest to the connectivity and inter-action between Council, residents, city staff, businesses, developers, builders, students & seniors. But our need to improve our quality of life by embracing sustainable concepts is insatiable. It will prove to be a journey without end - and that's good - it means we're prepared to move forward, together, and we're ready to walk the walk.

Another role I cherish is being Vice-Chair of the Waterfront Coordinating Committee. Along with a great volunteer board, staff and consultants, a design plan has been completed for a new harbour entrance into Frenchman's Bay, complete with spits on both sides stretching out into the lake. Take a romantic stroll, throw a fishing line in, or witness a stunning sunset - with the financial help of our two higher levels of government, we will see this become reality in the next few years. Our new Western Gateway on the trail is now accepting visitors on its viewing platforms and inviting you to inspect.

VERIDIAN
Veridian is our local electric company with Pickering a 43% shareholder. As a member of Veridian's Board of Directors, I was pleased last year when we were able to double dividends paid to the City. I was pleased we were included in the top 75 employers - now we're working on being in the top 25. Recently, Veridian was selected as one of Canada's Greenest Employers, a tribute to the company's sustainable journey.

This on top of the news that the company has exceeded 2.5 million hours without a lost-time injury - truly remarkable. I am also very pleased to note that the delivery line of electricity bills will decrease by approx. 6.9% or $2.14 for each 800 kWh/month residential customers consume. Roughly one-third of your total bill is reflected in the delivery line. We have reduced capital expenses by $300,000; and reduced operation, maintenance and administration costs by $750,000. The City can be proud of its investment and I am proud to represent its interests at the Board table.

BUSINESS GROWTH
2010 continues to be explosive. Total construction value has soared to $90 million thus far, up from last year's $45 million to the end of April. Institutional is $5.5 million, up from just $10 K last year. The shovel goes into the ground this month to begin construction of another V!VA Retirement Living complex on Kingston Rd. in the downtown core. My congratulations to owner Jordan Bernamoff and his outstanding team. Very professional and I have truly enjoyed working with them through the long planning process.

Already up and running is another new business, Arctic Breeze Heating & Air  Conditioning located in the Dellbrook Plaza on Brock Rd. Owners JP Pantaleo and Sash Kaziev are certified Lennox dealers and bring years of HVAC experience to your home.

Pictured from left Doug with owner JP Pantaleo and JP's Father

Check them out at www.arcticbreezehvac. ca<http://www.arcticbreezehvac.ca/> if you crave old-fashioned personal service.

RIB-FEST
Pickering is thrilled to again host the Rotary Rib-Fest in the Esplanade Park,behind City Hall. The event gets underway Friday, June 4th and continues all weekend. This is the 3rd year with attendance topping 54,000 visitors last year and over 60,000 projected for this year. As a city, we will be forever grateful to those Rotarians who had the vision to make this a reality - Lon Harnish, Tom Bachelor and Myrna Picotte to name a few. I enjoyed working with them from the beginning and truly believe that we will have an annual event, second to none, for many years to come.

PESCA
On a final note, my congratulations to President Keith Falconer and his new Pickering East Shore Community Association Executive on their recent elections. These volunteers are committed to restoring PESCA to being a true community association involved in community activities such as bazaars, BBQ's, sponsorship of local youth sports, involvement in Bay Ridges happenings such as the Easter Parade, the jazz festival coming to Millennium Square, Canada Day in Kinsmen Park, etc. PESCA has purchased a complete sunshade ($17,500) for installation along the beachfront - now the volley-ball ladies will finally have some shade. And committed $2K for 2 more benches. In all of these efforts and more, I have pledged my commitment to assist in any number of different ways as requested. ENJOY THE SUMMER, FOLKS!